QUROPE Quantum Information Processing and Communication in Europe

The interaction between dielectric particles and a laser-driven optical cavity gives rise to both conservative and dissipative dynamics, which can be used to levitate, trap, and cool nanoparticles. We analytically and numerically study a two-mode setup in which the optical potentials along the cavity axis cancel, so that the resulting dynamics is almost purely dissipative. For appropriate detunings of the laser drives, this dissipative optomechanical dynamics can be used to sort particles according to their size, to rectify their velocities, and to enhance transverse cooling.

We discuss how a lattice Schwinger model can be realized in a linear ion trap, allowing a detailed study of the physics of Abelian lattice gauge theories related to one-dimensional quantum electrodynamics. Relying on the rich quantum-simulation toolbox available in state-of-the-art trapped-ion experiments, we show how one can engineer an effectively gauge-invariant dynamics by imposing energetic constraints, provided by strong Ising-like interactions.

We show how engineered classical noise can be used to generate constrained Hamiltonian dynamics in atomic quantum simulators of many-body systems, taking advantage of the continuous Zeno effect. After discussing the general theoretical framework, we focus on applications in the context of lattice gauge theories, where imposing exotic, quasi-local constraints is usually challenging.

We show that gauge invariant quantum link models, Abelian and non-Abelian, can be exactly described in terms of tensor networks states. Quantum link models represent an ideal bridge between high-energy to cold atom physics, as they can be used in cold-atoms in optical lattices to study lattice gauge theories.

In this paper we present a hybrid scheme for topological quantum computation in a system of cold atoms trapped in an atomic lattice. A topological qubit subspace is defined using Majorana fermions which emerge in a network of atomic Kitaev one-dimensional wires. We show how braiding can be efficiently implemented in this setup and propose a direct way to demonstrate the non-Abelian nature of Majorana fermions via a single parity measurement.

The nonequilibrium response of a quantum many-body system defines its fundamental transport properties and how initially localized quantum information spreads. However, for long-range-interacting quantum systems little is known. We address this issue by analyzing a local quantum quench in the long-range Ising model in a transverse field, where interactions decay as a variable power law with distance.

We study the ground states of lattice Hamiltonians that are invariant under permutations, in the limit where the number of lattice sites N→∞. For spin systems, these are product states, a fact that follows directly from the quantum de Finetti theorem.

We propose an efficient protocol for braiding Majorana fermions realized as edge states in atomic wire networks, and demonstrate its robustness against experimentally relevant errors. The braiding of two Majorana fermions located on one side of two adjacent wires requires only a few local operations on this side which can be implemented using local site addressing available in current experiments with cold atoms and molecules. Based on this protocol we provide an experimentally feasible implementation of the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm for two qubits in a topologically protected way.

Recent contributions in the field of quantum state tomography have shown that, despite the exponential growth of Hilbert space with the number of subsystems, tomography of one-dimensional quantum systems may still be performed efficiently by tailored reconstruction schemes. Here, we discuss a scalable method to reconstruct mixed states that are well approximated by matrix product operators. The reconstruction scheme only requires local information about the state, giving rise to a reconstruction technique that is scalable in the system size.

It is known that more than 50 species use the Earth’s magnetic field for orientation and navigation. Intensive studies, particularly behavior experiments with birds, provide support for a chemical compass based on magnetically sensitive free radical reactions as a source of this sense. However, the fundamental question of how quantum coherence plays an essential role in such a chemical compass model of avian magnetoreception yet remains controversial.